


Mornings

by fromneptune



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bars and Pubs, Bokuto Koutarou is a Dork, Established Relationship, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, Implied Sexual Content, Living Together, M/M, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Thighs, its legit just bokuaka fluff everywhere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-06-04 19:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6671110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromneptune/pseuds/fromneptune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small story in which Bokuto and Akaashi are living together. There are ups and downs (and lots of weird shenanigans), but mainly ups.<br/>(Something like a spin-off of my other fic Midnights)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving Things

**Author's Note:**

> You don't have to read Midnights before this if you haven't already, but you should if you want kurotsuki angst haha (and this story would make more sense). I also meant for this to be a one-shot, but I ended up with too many tiny ideas. Anyway, enjoy!

"Is this all of them?" Bokuto Koutarou asked into the distance. "I hope so," he muttered to himself, "I'm hungry."

Akaashi Keiji replied from the distance, "Yeah. We're good."

After a silent victory dance, Bokuto stood inside a home that was not just his. He was sharing it with a very special person, a person he could not imagine being without. That person now stood at the doorway, staring dreadfully at the amount of boxes that needed to be unpacked. But Bokuto didn't care about that. He walked towards Akaashi and pulled him close. He whispered into his ear, "Welcome to our home, Keiji."

Akaashi almost fell into his trap. Bokuto was dangerous like that. ". . . Kou-san, I know what you're thinking. We are  _not_ having sex on the floor. Not with all of these boxes. We have yours and mine. Come on. Let's get this done."

Bokuto scoffed. "Alright, fine."

So they unpacked, and Akaashi became eager when he saw one of Bokuto’s boxes unopened. It was labeled "Koutarou's Gadgets." He looked up and proceeded after seeing that Bokuto was in the kitchen making a sandwich. Inside the box wasn't anything suspicious, except for maybe the silver handcuffs and policeman uniform at the bottom. He shuddered upon seeing them.

In the box there was a sword made of duct tape, an  _actual_ traditional sword, a copy of _Norwegian_ Wood, anda notebook titled "Poems."

In this instant, Akaashi found himself bewildered and laughing silently. He knew Bokuto was weird, but this was an entirely different level of weird. He was apparently into romance novels and wrote poems. And what the hell did he have a  _katana_ for? Unless, he was secretly some yakuza member and was living a double life.

But there was the issue of the police getup that made him most worried. He said, “Kou-san, just what is this stuff?"

Bokuto almost dropped his sandwich when he saw the opened box. "Keiji, please don't leave me!" he immediately begged.

"No, no. You should know I wouldn't do that. It's just--I don't know, you've never told me about these things."

Bokuto sighed. He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. "The duct tape sword is something I made for Kuroo way back when we were kids and fought a lot. He didn’t want it after a while. The actual sword is something my dad gave me for my birthday. I don't know how he found it, though. _Norwegian Wood_ is a really great book. And the poems . . . are just things I write down whenever I'm bored."

"So, why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I just didn't want you to think I was weird."

"Um, don't you think it's too late for that? You make a weird face when you eat sandwiches, and you sometimes make weird faces while making love to me."

"God! Are you serious? And you still want to move in together?" Bokuto at this point was red to his ears.

"Of course. Do you know how long I've pressed on for this day? I love you, Kou-san. Every weird part of you."

"Keiji . . ."

"Ah, but what about the police getup? It's not what I think it is, right?" As Bokuto stayed silent, Akaashi’s face grew dark. " _Right_?" he repeated.

"Well. . . It's kind of something I wanted to try it out . . . on you. The handcuffs, I mean. I'd wear the costume."

"That doesn't make it any less ridiculous." Akaashi was very much against the idea until he saw Bokuto's discontented face. "But, I'll do it. Only once. So you better not forget it."

Bokuto was definitely content now, and it was written all over his face. "You're the best, Keiji." He smiled warmly, and it wasn't just for that. It was because of everything Akaashi had done for him. Bokuto was aware of it, which is why he asked him if they could finally rent a place together. He wanted to give to Akaashi as well. He could do that now. They were under the same roof, using the same bed, using the same shower. They were together. They were a team.


	2. Bokuto vs. The Spider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all.

They didn't like fighting. Especially Bokuto; he always felt horrible after arguing with Akaashi because the latter was always right. Their quarrel this time was about how Bokuto left all his clothes everywhere instead of putting them in the laundry bag to wash. This escalated, and Bokuto said the one thing he knew he should never say.

"You're not my mom, you know."

That's when Akaashi got angry, and he hardly ever did. He was sensitive to this topic because he knew he was Bokuto's lover, not his mom. He remembered Tsukishima told him before that their relationship seemed similar to that of mother and son, but then he said maybe it was that Akaashi was the rational to Bokuto's irrationality. However, Akaashi didn't find Bokuto to be irrational. Or complicated. He was just him.

As Akaashi thought about his, his frustration completely disappeared. He sighed it off, because he knew that when he'd decided to be Bokuto's boyfriend, he was deciding to accept all his quirks and mood swings as well. And, after over ten years of knowing each other, there were still more things to be discovered.

Like, for example, his fear of spiders.

It was when Akaashi came home from work, and he heard a noise. That noise grew louder and louder by the second, until he was able to make out that it was actually Bokuto screaming. He took a moment, before addressing the problem, to laugh at the sound of his scream (which was more like a high-pitched squeal). Then he ran over to Bokuto and saw that he was plastered on the walls in the corner of their room; while across from him on the wall was a very large tarantula.

"Keiji, you're home! I know we had a fight, but can we pause on that and can you get rid of this thing? Please?"

"Sure. I mean, you seem so scared of it."

"I-I-I'm not!"

Bokuto didn't see this, but Akaashi sighed in relief seeing as it was just a spider and not some life-threatening event. He reached for the spider and let it crawl on his hand. Bokuto squirmed in the corner as he went over to him  _with_ the spider in his hands _._ "Come on, Kou-san. Let's get rid of your fear. Just touch it."

"Keiji, you can make me do anything you want--for chores, or in bed--but if you make me touch that thing...we...we're not having sex for a week!"

Akaashi was hardly surprised by this. He knew he could do it, but could Bokuto? He'll probably forget about what he just said in a few days, and then he'll want to have sex. Again, Akaashi sighed it off. He opened the window and placed the spider on the bushes. He even went to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came back, Bokuto was asleep.

He smiled. He was definitely going to tell Kuroo and Tsukishima about this so that they'd have some leverage on Bokuto when the time came. He took a long look at Bokuto's face. He had long eyelashes. Akaashi felt it was strange not seeing his eyes open and wide and full of adventure and adolescence. He realized that was something he loved about him. Akaashi loved taking care of him, and knowing weird things about him that others didn't.

He leaned over and tapped his forehead. "You're frowning, Kou-san." In that instant, Bokuto bit on his finger. "Ouch! You weren't asleep, were you?"

"The image of that spider is too fresh in my mind. Thanks for getting rid of it."

"No problem."

"And thank you for everything else you do. I'll try to keep my clothes in the room. Okay?" Bokuto grabbed Akaashi's hand. This was another side of him. The vulnerable and gentle side.

"Okay."

"Because I love you, you know."

"I know." After a moment of silence, he continued, "You still thinking about the spider?"

"Kind of."

"Well, then." Akaashi got on the bed and pinned down Bokuto's arms. "I'll make you forget about it."

Bokuto yawned. "I don't know. I'm kind of tired."

Irritated, Akaashi squinted his eyes even smaller than usual. "The one time I initiate it..."

He began to get up, but Bokuto took his arm and pinned _him_ on the bed. "I was joking."


	3. Weakness #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Bokuto act possessive for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the weirdest and craziest chapter I've ever written. The idea was way better in my head, but I've also been watching a lot of sitcoms and comedy and this was the result . . .

It had been only a month since they started living together, but something was already happening. Or, according to Bokuto, it was the calm before the storm.

"Okay, Koutarou, you've had some crazy ideas before--like that time the four of us went skydiving and I almost died, but I think this is your craziest idea yet. I mean, what you're saying is just ridiculous. Right, Kei?" Kuroo Tetsurou nudged Tsukishima Kei for backup. Not that he needed it though, because he was completely right.

Bokuto was out of his mind.

"I hate to admit this, but Tetsu is right. And he's never right about anything. So you should listen to him, Bokuto. Akaashi-san is not cheating on you," Tsukishima added.

"But, but," Bokuto stammered, "He's been acting all weird! He hasn't been eating any  _nanohana no karashiae,_  he spaces out when I talk to him, and he's fiddling with his fingers all the time! He's even been coming home later than usual. He's hiding something. I know it." He stopped and squinted at Kuroo and Tsukishima, who was nonchalantly sipping his third cup of tea. "Is that tea more important than my problem?"

Tsukishima, now annoyed, said, "Kind of, yeah. Because you don't have a problem. You and Akaashi-san have been in a relationship for what, seven years? Are you seriously suspecting him of cheating? You just moved in together! You know how much he wanted that. God, why did you even call us over here? It's not easy since you live in Tokyo."

"I only called Kuroo here, Tsukki. But since you guys are living together and everything, you do everything together. You two are like an old married couple. It's annoying."

Kuroo, who was trying not to laugh seeing Tsukishima's pissed face, said, "The only reason he's so uptight is because today marks two years since we started dating."

"Oh." Bokuto lowered his eyes and suddenly seemed genuinely upset. "I'm so sorry."

Kuroo knew what this was. This was Bokuto's weakness #27. Akaashi had warned him of this one: "He already feels miserable about something, but screws something else up on top of that. He becomes overwhelmed and may start to cry. If he does start to cry, then read aloud  _Norwegian Wood_ to him."

Immediately he hugged Bokuto and caressed his head. "No, it's okay. It's okay. This is what friends are for."

Tsukishima scoffed. "He's like a really big three year-old, isn't he? I don't know how Akaashi-san does it."

"Well, that's easy, isn't it?" Kuroo replied. "It's because he loves him."

The two noticed Bokuto had fallen asleep. Kuroo looked down the hall. "Wanna . . ."

Tsukishima quickly caught on. "Here? In their home? While the baby's asleep?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Let's just do it. It'll be quick; we can even leave a note afterwards."

"Tetsu . . ."

"Come on. It's our anniversary."

"Alright, fine." Tsukishima laughed (Kuroo, aside from Yamaguchi Tadashi, was probably the only other person who could make him do that). "But only twenty minutes."

"Forty?"

"Ha! Forty? No. Thirty is the max. Okay?"

"Okay."

\----

It was about eleven, and Hinata Shouyou was walking with Kageyama Tobio among the Tokyo night life. It wasn't anything special, but there were some hotels and bars and pubs and strip clubs. They were surprised when they saw a normal restaurant, but they were even more surprised when they saw two people they knew walking from a love hotel into a male strip club together.

"Hey, Kageyama, aren't they . . ."

"Wait a minute. They're . . ."

\----

The next day, Hinata anxiously rang Bokuto's doorbell (he got the new address from Kuroo). "Bokuto-san! Bokuto-san!"

Bokuto answered the door haggardly. "Woah, Hinata? What are you doing here? I hope I'm not dreaming about you or something."

"What? No! Is Akaashi-san home?"

He had to think. He and Kuroo played Chinese poker last night but he fell asleep after many, many beers. Even though he woke up with Akaashi next to him, he knew he wasn't home last night. "He's here now, yeah. But he's asleep."

"Good. Don't wake him up. I have to say something."

Kuroo, who was still in Tokyo, walked in. "Morning. What's all this noise about?"

"Kuroo-san. Long time no see. I'm glad you're here, because this concerns you, too."

"Hinata, why are you even here? What's going on?"

"Was Tsukishima here all day yesterday?" Hinata asked like a detective.

Kuroo had to think as well; he was quite drunk last night. "No, no, I think he left at eight to go meet a friend somewhere."

"Yes, and that friend was Akaashi-san!"

"Hinata, you're not making any sense. What is it?"

"Your boyfriends are cheating on you with each other!"

Kuroo and Bokuto exchanged glances and burst out into laughter. "Hell no! That could never happen. Ever. It just makes no sense," Kuroo said. "For one, Kei isn't like that. It's not in his nature."

"Yeah, and Keiji . . ." At the moment Bokuto couldn't come up with anything because it's exactly what he thought. But not with Tsukishima.

"Anyway, Kageyama and I saw them go from a love hotel to a strip club. I just thought you should know."

"Hey, Hinata," Bokuto began. He seemed to have had an idea.

"Yeah?"

"What's the name of that strip club?"

\----

Neither Kuroo nor Bokuto had done something like this before. All they could think of was Hinata's delusion about their boyfriends cheating. Which is why they had to investigate.

"Wait," Kuroo said as they stood at the front door.

"What?" Bokuto snapped. "You backing out now?"

"No, I'm just not going in with these stupid disguises. Seriously, Kei will recognize me."

"Then what should we do?"

Then came out an idea that they could never take back. "We go in through the back and dress up like strippers."

Oddly enough, Bokuto was very on-board with this idea. It was a secret of his that only Tsukishima knew (he told him in college when they were really drunk): that he wanted to try being a stripper at least once.

 Although they tried to be covert, they were suddenly face to face, in very tight clothing, with the manager, Oikawa Tooru. He was a tall, robust man with brown wavy (unruly) hair and confident brown eyes. "You what? You're not trying to rob us? You want to be a stripper?"

"Well . . .yes. Just for tonight. We have to see why our boyfriends are coming here without telling us," Bokuto explained. "It's a long story."

Oikawa didn't seem to care about it. He also didn't seem to like how handsome Kuroo and Bokuto were. So he scoffed as he waved his hand and let them be.

Instead of focusing on the initial mission, they were having a lot of fun trying on different levels of skimpy clothes. Just as they were going out there, Bokuto got stage fright (another weakness). For such an open and exuberant person, it was strange.

"Koutarou. Just think of Akaashi and you'll be fine. Just look for him, okay? Let's go."

And they went.

\----

When Tsukishima and Akaashi went to a strip club, they did not expect to accidentally fall--and kiss on the floor. They did not expect to be drinking and then see their significant others making moves on the poles. They did not expect chaos to ensue shortly afterwards.

Of course, Tsukishima's first thought was,  _What the hell is he doing?!_ But his second thought was,  _He's surprisingly good at it. Bokuto on the other hand . . ._

He looked over at Akaashi and saw him trying not to laugh.

But Kuroo and Bokuto were not laughing. "HEY!" Kuroo shouted, "What the hell was that? Did you two just kiss?"

Tsukishima immediately caught on to everything that was happening. "You idiot! It was an accident!"

"Then why were you here last night? Keiji! At least tell me where you're going!"

"Kou-san . . ."

At this point, they had stopped stripping, so Oikawa came out and shouted at them to continue. That's when Kuroo lost his cool and went charging at Oikawa. He actually wasn't as mad as he seemed; he was trying to be angry for Bokuto's sake. It took a lot for Bokuto to be angry, and whenever he was, he didn't like to show it.

Kuroo exclaimed to him, "Bokuto! It's fine to be angry sometimes! Come on, when was the last time the two of us went all out?"

\----

Currently the club was a mess. There had been an all out war between everyone who was irratated by someone, and that someone. Oikawa was in the corner being comforted by some guy with spiky hair and angry eyes. Kuroo and Bokuto were all bruised and beat up, their hearts and clothes (or lack thereof) a mess.

Luckily Akaashi had some band aids on him. "Do you know how stupid this all was?" His voice was stern and firm. He was somewhat angry himself.

"Yeah . . ." The two idiots replied in unison.

Akaashi sighed. "I've been coming here for a while to get . . . sex advice. I heard some strange things. But it’s also a nice place to complain about you. I'm sorry for not telling you."

Immediately Kuroo and Bokuto laughed. "What advice could you need that I couldn't give you? Right, Kei?" Kuroo said.

"Don't ask me, you dimwit. I'm still mad," Tsukishima snapped.

"Keiji, you can complain about me all you want, but don't ask strippers for sex advice. I mean, in a weird way, I respect them, but no. Just don't. And I'm sorry I thought you were cheating. I mean, I only thought it for a second! I don't know what was wrong with me." Bokuto reached out and patted Akaashi’s head.

“I'm sorry, too. Kei, when will you forgive me?" Kuroo pressed on, and Tsukishima walked away.

"Will you two be okay? Tsukki can hold a grudge," Bokuto said.

Kuroo smiled. "Yeah, he's just putting up a front." He held out his hand and Tsukishima took it. "See you guys later."

"Bye." Bokuto sighed. "I think this was the craziest thing I've done."

"There's one thing we can agree on."

"Wanna head home?"

"Sure. Oh, let's stop by the market. I have a weird craving for beef . . ."

Bokuto knew this was strange because _he_ was the one who usually wanted beef. "Keiji?"

"Yeah?"

They were walking, so Bokuto's eyes weren't looking at him, but his heart was. "I know I have a lot of weaknesses, but by far, you're number one."


	4. Appliance Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi reminds Bokuto that he is the best one for him.

Because a ridiculous incident like that happened, Bokuto and Akaashi's next few weeks were peaceful. Kuroo visited from time to time (after hearing Bokuto's complaints), either to rant about Tsukishima, brag about him, or go drinking with them.

It was summer now, and it got really hot really fast. And at the peak of the heat, an omen occurred that signaled the end of the world (or what felt like it). "THE AIR CONDITIONER!!" Bokuto shouted.

Akaashi ran in from the bathroom half naked (his top half; he was taking a shower). "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. But the air conditioner is broken. He's dead." Bokuto didn't mention the fact that he could clearly see Akaashi's upper body--abs and all. It made him self-conscious and more nervous than usual (which was weird, considering how much he'd seen already, and more than once).

"Well, we don't really have the money for a new one. We're just going to have to deal with it."

It did not take long for Akaashi to take back his statement. "Kou-san," he said, "we're going to have to go without food for a few days."

As much as Bokuto hated that idea, he wanted a new A.C. Badly. So for once and only once, he agreed to no food. Now the real question remained: "Which one of us is going to get it?" Immediately after asked this, he said, "Not it!" Akaashi said it as well, but half a second later, so he got stuck with the tedious duty of getting an air conditioner.

His main worry was that other people would be having the same idea if they didn't have an air conditioner already. His fears came to life when he entered the appliance store. There was competition. Major competition. It was like a zoo. People were running around with air conditioners, tall and long; they took others' and competed with them. He even saw, in the corner, an arm wrestling match between two men. They seemed to be competing for a very high-grade air conditioner. One of them seemed to be two meters tall, with light gray hair and bright green eyes. The other had peach-colored hair, a baby face, and to top it off, he was half the height of the other man.

"You can't beat me, Yaku-san," the confident, albeit struggling tall man said.

Seconds later however, the short man, Yaku, gathered his strength and won the match. "What did you say, Lev?"

Akaashi snickered at the two weird guys as he made his way to the collection of appliances. He wanted to get the cheapest one, but he remembered that Bokuto was suffering and he needed something that did is job. Luckily, the one he saw and wanted to get was on sale. The only problem was that it was the last one and someone else wanted it. He knew because someone else's hands were grabbing on tight to the box.

"No way. Kenma?" Akaashi said.

Indeed, it was Kenma, an old friend, who was vying with him for the same thing. Akaashi, being the softie that he was, wanted to let Kenma have it (especially since he isn't able to have Kuroo). But again, he thought about Bokuto's little resistance to heat. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you have this."

". . . I get it. Bokuto-san can't take it in this type of heat." Kenma latched on. "But neither can I. The one time I come back to Japan, it's during a heat wave."

The two didn't have to exchange any more words. They simply exchanged glances, and took out their Nintendo devices (Akaashi wasn't much of a gamer, but liked to play with Kenma when he could).

\----

When Akaashi got back home soon afterwards, he had tissues in his nostrils but carried the air conditioner with him. "Kou-san, I got it. Now we just have to install it . . ." Akaashi trailed off as he fell on the floor. He was tired from playing with Kenma for so long, and consequently, from heat and exhaustion he got a nosebleed.

Bokuto however, thought he got into a fight. "Are you okay? Who did this to you? Do I need to hurt someone?"

"No, I ran into Kenma. We had fun. I like seeing him, and beating him at stuff. Go install the A.C. I'm going to sleep . . ." Just like that, Akaashi dozed off.

Bokuto looked at him and smiled. He brushed down his bangs and lightly caressed his cheek. "Thank you," he whispered. "I have the best boyfriend in the world."


	5. I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Early morning thoughts about the past.

Akaashi's cravings hardly ever came at three in the morning. Usually they came at midnight or earlier. He opened the fridge, and upon finding it barren, he sighed and just toasted some bread. Every time he bought food for them, Bokuto unknowingly ate everything. But him being full meant that he was happy, and Akaashi was okay with that.

As he buttered his toast, he felt an eerie presence coming from the hall. He didn't dare to look, because although he wasn't afraid of ghosts or the like, he didn't have a weapon or anything to combat it.

Suddenly, he felt someone big behind him. He turned around and heard a scream.

"Is that you, Kou-san?"

Bokuto was too shaken up to respond. Frankly, in this situation, Akaashi should have been the scared one, not him.

"Did I scare you?" he didn't mention how even he was feeling unstable because of the strangeness in the silence of their home (usually Bokuto was snoring or talking in his sleep or something).

"It's okay. I just woke up, and you weren't there, so I wanted to see where you were," Bokuto finally said. "What are you doing?"

"Making toast. Do you want some?"

"Of course."

It was quiet as Akaashi put the bread in the toaster; Bokuto slowly formed a melancholic smile on his face. All of a sudden he was reminded of the past, of how they met in college and started going out. But for a while, Akaashi was uneasy about their relationship because Bokuto hadn't said something to him yet. Of course, he showed it through action, but he kind of treated Tsukishima and Kuroo the same way.

Bokuto laughed to himself, remembering all of the ridiculous things that happened in college. He felt sad because he wouldn't be able to relive those moments anymore.

He met Akaashi when he had just washed his hair, so it was long and down. He had knocked on the door, and Bokuto answered it with only a towel over his waist.

"Um, hi," Akaashi said, clearly taken aback by Bokuto's appearance.

"Hey," Bokuto replied.

"Um, can I use your shampoo?"

"Oh, sure." Bokuto quickly went and got it, because he was still wet, so he was cold. "Here."

Akaashi almost laughed, looking at the bottle of shampoo. He read aloud: "City of Flowers?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover! It's really good stuff. Here, smell." Bokuto lowered his head as his silvery hair came closer to Akaashi’s nose. The latter smelled honey and roses and fruits. It smelled good, and although he just met the guy, he thought it fit him.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll bring it back."

"When you do," Bokuto said, "if you want, we can play cards."

Without really thinking about it, he replied, "Sure." It wasn't until after he left that he realized what he agreed to.

Still, he didn't know that he was going to, very quickly, fall in love with this guy.

Bokuto flashed forward to when they kissed for the first time. It was at one of his parties--or, after one of his parties, and he had been trying to apologize to Tsukishima for making him kiss this guy during spin the bottle.

Then, in the midst of the mess, Bokuto saw an angel. He'd invited Akaashi to the party before, but he said he didn't like parties. Bokuto didn't expect him to show up, even at the end.

"You came," he said, his voice filled with the elation of a five year-old.

"Yeah, I did. I just thought I'd come for a bit, since you wanted me to come. But I see it's over."

"No, it's just started," Bokuto said and looked at Tsukishima, who got the idea. He smirked at him and left them alone.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean . . ." He put on a slow song and held out his hand. He smiled, not as confidently as usual, because he wasn't sure if Akaashi would take it.

But he did, and Bokuto held his waist and Akaashi wrapped his arms around his neck. "Do you know how to dance, Bokuto-san?" he asked him.

"Not really. But how hard can it be?" Was what he said before he stepped on Akaashi's feet a couple of times.

"I'm sorry! Oh my God, I really can't do this. I can't even dance a little bit . . ."

Akaashi noticed that Bokuto was becoming discouraged. He only intended to cheer him up, but he ended up saying something else. "That's fine, Bokuto-san. I don't like you just because of the things you can do. I like that you can't do some things."

Akaashi couldn't tell, but Bokuto's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. ". . . You like me?"

"Did I say that?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh. Well, I do. Is that weird?"

"No. No, it's really great, actually." That was when Bokuto took his chance, in the middle of his messy room, failing at dancing to a song. When he felt his lips touch Akaashi’s, it felt so new and so right that he couldn't stop. They collided their lips and kissed muddled kisses and they didn't really know what they were doing, but it didn't matter.

It really didn't.

Back in the kitchen, Bokuto said, "I love you."

Akaashi stopped. "Why, all of a sudden . . .?"

"Because I didn't say it to you before, remember? We'd dated for like, a year, and I didn't even tell you I loved you. I didn't say it until I almost lost you. It just didn't come to my mind--"

"But you showed it every day." Akaashi slid a plate with buttered toast to him. "Have you been thinking about that stuff this whole time? That was basically ten years ago."

"Still." Bokuto looked down at the bread. He smiled. Even if they were older, even if they couldn't do the same things they did before, they were still there. They were still together. "I really don't know what I did to deserve you."


	6. Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have to know if I can protect him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto is a lovely dork who is desperately in love in this one. God, I just can't. He kills me. Also, the next chapter is the end! Enjoy!

"It's okay, Kou-san. How many times do I have to say that?"

As many times as Akaashi said it, Bokuto was obstinate. He refused to believe it was okay. For him, it wasn't okay that they went on their long-awaited date only to get mugged afterwards. Akaashi got hit a few times, and he couldn't do anything about it. For one, he hated fighting unless he deemed it absolutely necessary. Also, the muggers were too quick for him.

Still, none of this was okay. He let Akaashi get hurt.

"I don't think it's okay. I don't like it. It's not like I'm weak, I just . . ." He frowned as he hung up his jacket and walked to their room. Akaashi knew what this was. Once he was in a slump, or very determined to do (or not do) something, there was no taking him out of it. He needed to take himself out of it.

All of this pushes him to try and get into a fight with someone off the street. After about eight shoves into people, in which he kept apologizing after the fact, he was about to give up. But he had remembered someone he could always count on.

"Kuroo!"

"What?"

"Come over here and fight me!"

Kuroo immediately hung up the phone. Only after a few more calls from Bokuto did he answer the phone again. This time, he listened through his friend's ordeal, since he didn't really have a way out of it. "So basically, you get Akaashi hurt, and now you want to get used to fighting people? Is that normal, Koutarou?"

"I don't know. Just help me, bro."

Kuroo couldn't resist whenever Bokuto threw the "bro" card. "Fine. Let me tell Kei. He might want to come."

And with that, some hours later, Bokuto stood in front of Kuroo in a position ready to fight. Not only Tsukishima, but Kenma was there as well. "Um . . . do you want this to be a K.O. sort of thing, or what?" Kuroo asked.

"K.O. is fine," Bokuto boldly declared.

"You sure? Won't Akaashi be upset?"

"Maybe. But still."

Kuroo gave up on trying to convince him otherwise, so they began fighting. They exchanged blows back and forth. Kenma was able to clear a level of his game, while Tsukishima helped him. They hadn't paid much attention to the fight, and when Kuroo won with only a bleeding nose as a result, they weren't too surprised.

"Wait," he said, "Since he's unconscious, does this mean I have to carry him home?"

Akaashi already had a good idea of what went down upon seeing Bokuto unconscious and Kuroo with tissues in his nostrils. He wanted to ask, to say a lot, but he didn't, because he knew that Bokuto would want it to be a secret. So he just looked at him, sadly, and sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked himself.

\----

That next evening, Bokuto lamented his failure as a boyfriend with Kuroo, Tsukishima and Kenma at a bar. "I can't do anything!" he whined. "I can't clean, the only foods I can make are those green things he likes, cereal, and _sometimes_ rice! All I do is cause trouble for him . . ."

This pessimistic side of Bokuto really irked the three of them. Kenma spoke first, "Do you think Akaashi sees it that way? If you've been together this long . . . I can't see why it's bothering you now."

Tsukishima added, "Bokuto-san, you cause trouble for  _us_. Not for Akaashi-san."

Kuroo finished, "Kei is right. There isn't any other guy out there willing to fight a spider for him."

"A lot of other guys can fight a spider! And he even told you about that? Oh, man . . ." Bokuto sank himself into his alcohol. As he became drunker, he started scream-crying. It was something he couldn't do unless he was wasted.

The three of them were used to this by now, but the other people in the bar were not. He ended up catching the attention of a couple tall and big men. One had long blonde hair and the other was bald. They could have been foreigners who were really good at Japanese, but Kuroo and Tsukishima were drunk enough to not be able to tell. Kenma didn't like to drink too much, but he also just didn't want to get involved in what he knew was going to happen.

The men had walked up to them and turned over Bokuto in his seat. "Oi! You gonna stop that? Or do we have to make you?"

Bokuto, as drunk as he was, saw this as the perfect opportunity to test his skills. Kuroo realized that he saw this, so he backed him up. "You're gonna have to make him. Or us _._ " He touched Tsukishima's shoulder, but the latter couldn't tell if it meant "stay out of this" or "come and help me." He discerned it was the first one.

Bokuto turned back around and continued scream-crying purposefully, and as soon as he did the blonde man grabbed his shoulder and threw him on the floor. That in itself was already a considerable amount of damage.

"Koutarou!" Kuroo went to help him, but the bald man stopped him.

They took their fight outside, and Bokuto stood up, hit after hit, his legs quivering and his head pounding. "I'm . . . not done! I-I have to know if I can protect him . . ."

Motivated solely by an odd sense of pride, Bokuto kept up with the blonde man. He got punched, he punched him, and while he was knocked to the ground he had a last minute thought. It was a thought that would bring him victory. He acted as if he was unconscious for a bit, until he found the right moment and he gave him a sharp uppercut.

A while ago, Kuroo had already taken care of the bald guy, so when Bokuto was done he went over to him and messed up his hair. "You won. Are you happy now?" Bokuto was lying on the floor, sleeping. As Kenma and Tsukishima came outside, Kuroo noticed that Akaashi was standing next to Bokuto's unconscious body.

"Did he win?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. What did you think? He had the mettle of a _shounen_ protagonist," Kuroo answered. "This guy . . . is a pain in my ass, you know. Oh, but for you, that pain is more literal, right? Haha."

" . . . Right." Akaashi knelt down and looked at the cuts and bruises on Bokuto's face. He hated seeing him like this, but he would hate it even more if he wasn't smiling. So he kissed his forehead and stroked his face, consequently waking him up. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Bokuto pulled Akaashi's head down and kissed him. "What are you talking about? You don't have to apologize for anything. I . . . just wanted to protect you."

"I know. But that doesn't mean get into fights with random guys."

"Ah. So you are mad?"

"Just a little. Sometimes, protecting me means that you make sure I'm happy. And that's easy, if you just be yourself. You don't have to try to be a _shounen_ protagonist. You're already my hero."

". . . I guess it was always that easy," Bokuto said, and they kissed some more. Akaashi accidentally tasted the blood on his lips, but he didn't care.

Kuroo, Tsukishima, and Kenma had watched the whole thing, and by this point they were tired of watching it. "We should just go back inside," Tsukishima suggested.

"Hey, by the way, were you worried about me while I was fighting?" Kuroo asked him.

"No, not really--"

"What?" he said sadly.

"--because I knew you would win."

Kuroo smiled, "You're sly . . ."

Bokuto and Akaashi were still kissing, but it didn't take long for Akaashi to realize that the former fell asleep in the middle of it. "Kou-san? Are you sleeping?" His silence showed that he was. He sighed. ". . . Just what would I do without you?"


	7. Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some shorts that involve touching and hugging and few words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is my favorite, and the last chapter, thanks to all of you guys who read this!

_Hands_

They were difficult to hold. Bokuto's hands were larger than Akaashi’s, but not by a lot. For some reason, though, neither of them could quite get the hand-holding thing right. If it was comfortable for Bokuto, it was uncomfortable for Akaashi, and vice versa. There were times, though, when nothing else mattered and Bokuto held Akaashi’s hand because one of them simply needed it.

Another thing that bothered Akaashi was that Bokuto's hands were always really cold. Since his were always warm, he would try to hold them tightly, so that they could become warmer. He wondered if it was a testament to his personality, but if it were that, Bokuto would have the warmer hands. Because he was always smiling.

Bokuto noticed how warm Akaashi's hands were, and he was jealous, so he would squeeze Akaashi’s to make them colder. However he soon realized that it made sense that his hands were always warm, because Akaashi was his light.

Sometimes Bokuto kissed Akaashi's hands. He wondered what his lips would feel upon touching them, and he wondered how ticklish Akaashi would feel. His hands were smaller than his, and smooth, while his were rough and gentle. But that just made it easier for him to shower his hands with small kisses.

_Fingers_

Five on the right, five on the left. A strange thing Bokuto did once in a while was count the fingers on Akaashi's hands. He did this when they would be in bed, doing nothing, as he intertwined their fingers. It was like he was making sure Akaashi had all that he needed. Whenever he did this, he realized that his lover's fingers were oddly skinny, compared to his, which were big. It worried him, so he decided to cook large meals for him on order for him to gain some weight. But his fingers stayed the same, and he concluded that it was fine for his fingers to be small. Because all that mattered was that those fingers touched only his face, and his body, and those nails dug into only his back.

_Thighs_

There was a time when Akaashi fell asleep after he and Bokuto had sex. When he woke up a few hours later, he went to the bathroom and saw that there were tens of red marks on his thighs. He almost hadn't noticed it during sex, but Bokuto had been focused on his thighs for the longest. Why? He wasn't sure.

Bokuto was developing a thigh fetish. He couldn't help it. There were Akaashi’s thighs, right in front of his face, so toned and tender--just waiting to be kissed. He loved Akaashi’s shaken, flushed face as he ran his lips gently up and down his thighs. He loved the sounds of pleasure and infatuation that came from his mouth.

He really just loved everything about Akaashi and his thighs.

_Bodies_

They were warmer together. It was winter, and they were always cold. That is, until Bokuto came up with the suggestion that they should just huddle together underneath a blanket. And, well, it worked. Whenever their bodies were close together, somehow Akaashi had a way of finding himself within Bokuto's arms. He had a way of sinking into the sea that was Bokuto's body, as the latter's arms would wrap around him and hold him close. And then suddenly, everything was warmer.

Sometimes their bodies would be rocking, pounding against each other; the manifestation of passion, like two forces of nature. And nothing seemed more right to Akaashi than the sight of Bokuto's body on top of his.

_Home_

After a long day at work, all Bokuto wanted to do was go home and have drinks with his lover. However, sometimes Akaashi wouldn't be home, and that made Bokuto feel uneasy and moody. He would do random things around the house because he couldn't sit still and wait: he would clean the bathroom, check the bills, fix their room, and make copious amounts of rice. Sometimes he fell asleep. And then, as soon as that door opened, he ran to Akaashi, hugged him, and barraged him with kisses.

"Kou-san. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Bokuto said, "I'm glad you're home."

Akaashi smiled. He looked at Bokuto and thought,  _I'm home._


End file.
